John McEnroe was commentating on Novak Djokovic last night and he spotted a worrying sign during his French Open first-round match.
The American is covering Roland Garros for Eurosport and last night it was the turn of the reigning champion to get underway.
Djokovic took on French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert and came through in comprehensive style.
The 37-year-old got off the mark with a 6-4, 7-6, 6-4 victory but McEnroe did notice a worrying sign during the performance of the three-time Roland Garros winner.
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John McEnroe spots ’cause for concern’ during Novak Djokovic win
The commentator doesn’t know what it takes to claim a win on the clay at Roland Garros.
He did reach one final during his career but lost in the 1984 final to Ivan Lendl – a player who he enjoyed a fierce rivalry with.
Still, McEnroe did claim seven major titles during his career and last night whilst watching Djokovic he thought there was something not quite right with the Serbian player.
With the scores at 3-3 in the second set, he picked up on something that the 24-time Grand Slam winner was doing.
He said on Eurosport: “There is something off with him. He looks winded right now. He has slowed it down considerably. It’s just not your typical Novak Djokovic we are looking at.
“Have we seen this way before? Yeah. Has he gotten out of it almost every time? Yes. But nonetheless, it could be cause for concern if you are a Djokovic fan.
“He seems to be off balance more often than I normally see.”
Djokovic can still produce magic moments
Ultimately, if the serial Grand Slam winner turns up to a tournament, he simply cannot be written off.
The player is an iconic figure in tennis and he will still be smarting that it was Jannik Sinner who won the first major of the year in Australia.
Djokovic has had a bit of a stop-start season and he will be keen to hit his best form at the right time at the French Open.
Next up, he faces Spanish player Roberto Carballes Baena and the 31-year-old shouldn’t cause him too many issues.
For Djokovic it’s all about going through the gears and given his mentality, he will be desperate to win a fourth French Open title next week.
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